Before You Start Planning A Wedding, Remember These Tips!

You’ve found that special someone, and you’re convinced you’d rather wake up next to no one else but them. You’ve gone down on one knee, popped the question, and received the all-important “yes!” And now your journey of forever begins. Well, congratulations! It is quite easy to want to jump into the next important step out of excitement- but of course, who wouldn’t? You can’t wait to start planning a fun wedding after your engagement, and the mere thought of it makes you feel like a child again. But before you allow yourself to get too carried away with hiring a Cinderella-inspired carriage, like the prince charming you are, here are a few things you first need to think about. 

1. Enjoy every bit of your engagement 

There’s no need to rush after your engagement. Yes, you’re in love, and you want to start planning your wedding as soon as possible, but take the time to enjoy your engagement first. Getting engaged is truly a magical moment. No matter how elaborate or simple you plan yours, it should always be filled with bubbles of excitement, joy, admiration for your partner, and most importantly, pure love. 

Create a moment to remember first. From choosing the perfect engagement ring to planning your proposal and setting up the ‘perfect’ engagement party, take the time to ensure that you create moments that will last forever. For example, regarding your engagement, you can design a piece that offers a unique meaning or symbolizes your love in a special way. For example, you’ll be able to design beautiful gemstone engagement rings from Allurez that are unique and symbolize your love. 

The point is, right after your engagement proposal, take the time to party, visit loved ones, family, and celebrate that important moment in your life. The chances are that people will start asking you when the wedding bells will start ringing immediately after your engagement proposal. But the last thing you want is to feel pressured or pushed into setting a date, and nothing should stop you from letting them know that you’ll inform them at the right time. And speaking of communicating, the next point is also necessary. 

2. Constant communication

Communication is key, especially during the moments before your official wedding date. Even before you decide to settle down permanently with someone, you’ll want to make sure that you have honest communication with them about their aspirations and dreams about the wedding day and beyond.

Of course, you should know your partner enough by now to want to tie the know with them, but that should stop you from asking them some very important questions. Start by finding out what they want their big day to look like. For most men, the wedding day isn’t much of a big day in terms of details. The most information most men need is the time and place – oh, and what not to say during the exchange of vows.

On the other hand, most women usually have the perfect wedding planned in their minds even before they say yes to any proposal. From the wedding theme to seating arrangements and the cake design, most women have every detail locked down. Since you don’t want anything to catch you by surprise, discuss your ideal wedding location, any special religious or cultural traditions you want, who not to have on your guest list, etc. But because a successful marriage is more important than a perfect wedding, you also need to communicate what you expect from each other after the passion of the honeymoon is over. For example, do you want to have kids? What are your financial plans? Are there any medical concerns you should consider?

It would also help if you communicated your concerns, doubts, fears, etc., with your partner during the wedding planning stage and encouraged them to do the same. Planning a wedding has a way of unearthing certain emotions and thoughts you never knew you had, and it’s a good idea to speak about with your partner. 

3. Budget, budget, budget

You don’t want to start planning any wedding without the proper budget. In other words, you don’t want to be planning for a wedding when you’re not sure how you’re going to pay for it. Believe it or not, the average wedding cost in America currently hovers around $22,500, with the venue alone being the single most expensive part ($6,000). Note, this is only an average figure, which means your budget could be more or less, depending on what type of wedding you want. That’s another reason why communication, as mentioned previously, is crucial.

Creating a wedding budget shouldn’t be too hard if you already have a fat bank account. Creating a budget is an absolute must if you don’t have enough cash already saved up. One other great reason you don’t have to rush into setting a wedding date is that it gives you enough time to sort out your finances and decide on the best way to fund your wedding. 

Again, you don’t have to put too much pressure on yourself to spend a lot of money in an attempt to create the perfect wedding – not when you can plan an equally memorable experience without spending too much. Your wedding day is important, but your marriage should be paramount. With 20% of Americans going into wedding-related debt issues, the last thing you want is your marriage to become another negative statistic. So, give yourself enough time to budget for that special day in a way that will not negatively affect the financial future of your marriage. 

You can find ways to cut down on your wedding expenses by inviting friends, family, and loved ones to chip in with one form of help. For example, if you have a friend who is already a talented photographer, why not allow them to cover the event as their gift for your wedding? If you have a family member that bakes, you should hire them for their service. That’s more expenses slashed off your budget. 

4. Aim for a stress-free wedding experience

Planning a wedding can be very exciting, but it can also be a pretty stressful experience. Therefore, you need to find ways to brace yourself for the stress or avoid them. An effective way to avoid the stress involved with planning a wedding is to hire a professional wedding planner and let them carry the burden (which they’ll be more than happy to). 

However, working with the wrong wedding planner can also be an equally stressful experience. So you’ll want to take your time to screen several candidates until you settle on one you feel you can work with – and of course, afford. You might also want to know that a wedding planner will come with possibly many ideas already in mind, so be sure you know what you want.

If you can’t afford a professional wedding planner, give yourself enough time to plan to avoid last-minute rush decisions and stress. Your wedding budget should give you a clear idea of what you can afford, how much you need to save, and how long you need to save. That means you can set your wedding day to a date that gives you enough time to prepare. 

You can start purchasing the important things early unless you’re expecting certain price drops or promotional sales in the future. You can also start booking your preferred location in advance to avoid disappointments.

Another way to limit stress or the impact of a stressful wedding planning process is to have as much fun as possible. Yes, disagreements will pop up here and there, tempers will flare up once in a while, but you need to find ways to have fun throughout the process. You can try going out for dates and find humor in the planning process and frustrations it comes with.

You can also consider anti-stress activities like mediation, yoga, going for walks, or anything else that’ll momentarily take your mind off the wedding. 

5. Don’t forget the role of counseling

Hiring a wedding planner may help take some of the stress off your shoulders, but that does not mean there wouldn’t be any disagreements between you and your partner. You can expect a lot of disagreements before the d-day, but fighting during planning does not mean you’re bound for a divorce. 

It would do your relationship well if you considered professional counseling during your wedding planning stage. This way, you can avoid making rash decisions spurred by the heat of the moment. Such professional guidance will also help you navigate the turmoil of emotions that might build up when stress takes its toll on your planning process.

If professional counseling isn’t an option, try seeking regular advice from others like your parents. Even with the best preparation, you’ll need all the emotional help you can get.

There’s so much to do when getting ready for your big day. However, the preparations and steps before saying “I do” are even more important. Be sure to follow before you plan your wedding to ensure that your special day is as joyous and magical as you had hoped!